After being reborn, I make up my mind to stop chasing after my husband and daughter

Chapter 24

Wendy made me a nutritious breakfast. I was halfway through my meal when Yvonne came bounding in. “Mom, you’re not going to work today,” she declared. “You have to stay home and play with me.”

I looked at her while spooning my gruel. “From now on, I will be going back to work,” I said. “But we’ll sign you up for some fun classes–you’ll have teachers and classmates to keep you company.”

Yvonne’s face paled at the mention of classes. In an instant, she was pointing at me, her voice rising to a wail. “I don’t want classes. You’re mean. I hate you. I’m telling Grandma.” She turned and ran toward the door to find her grandmother.

“Come back,” I commanded, my voice icy. “Go ahead–try telling on me.”

Yvonne’s face was still wet with crocodile tears. She turned to look at me, her eyes wide–almost like she was seeing me for the first time. And for just a second, I caught a flicker of fear.

sip of lemon water, and fixed her with a cold stare. “Yvonne, I’m your mother. I brought you into

go ask your father. I won’t stand in

“Mom, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I won’t talk back again. And I won’t tattle to Grandma.

clever and perceptive. It hurt to remember how, in my previous life, she’d still been taking Tracy’s side even

my own worst enemy, dragging everyone

as a parent, and I didn’t know how to fix it. All I wanted was to raise a child who might one day look

parenting advice kept telling us to take it easy on our kids. It encouraged us to offer

and 90s, caught between these new ideas and how we were raised,

I’ve got work soon.” Rubbing my temples, I nudged Yvonne toward her pony and went